Scott Ostler: A playoff-worries starter kit

Worry, like rust, never sleeps. Even though the 49ers came out of their slump/funk/hibernation Sunday with a 27-13 win over the Cardinals, the 49ers and their fans have no shortage of legitimate and illegitimate concerns to kick (key word) around for the next two weeks.

I made a list (and checked it twice). It includes:

Kicking: This will not be a worry if the 49ers blow out every playoff foe. But in a close game? Whoa, Nellie!

David Akers is not himself. Who is he? Nobody knows. He ducked the media after Sunday’s game, after pushing field-goal attempts of 40 and 44 yards left.

Right now, Akers is not a reliable NFL kicker. Is his problem something mechanical?

“Ahh, not that I know of,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said. “No, I can’t exactly say what’s going on. … We’ll evaluate the position. … It’s his job to make the field goals.”

That’s as close as Harbaugh has come to publicly criticizing one of his players.

D-fense is D-ficient: The Cardinals, led by a quarterback they found wandering around their hotel lobby, took the ball on their 13-yard line late in the first quarter and marched to a field goal that gave them a 6-0 lead.

Yes, the 49ers’ defense eventually came to life, but this was the Cardinals!

The 49ers’ offense is no touchdown factory. In two weeks, the defense will need to be stiffer than the cocktail you’re mixing for your date at the New Year’s party. Can the 49ers rise to the occasion?

As the 49ers’ defense skulked off the field after that second Arizona field goal, the Candlestick deejay played the Who’s “Who Are You?”

Who are they? Who-who, who-who? Are they the defense that was the scourge of the league earlier this year, or a unit with more soft spots than Santa’s heart?

Something is missing. Could it be …

Justin Smith? Without Justin Smith, Aldon Smith is less dangerous.

Justin, aka Cowboy, says he’ll be back in two weeks, even though he has a partially torn triceps muscle and an elbow bone spur. Hey, Ronnie Lott had his finger amputated so he could play, maybe Smith will give up his left arm. (He’s right-handed.)

Colin Kaepernick: Can Kaepernick handle the pressure of the playoffs, especially on the road where the crowd noise is overwhelming?

This is actually a dumb question. Kaepernick has earned the confidence of his coaches and teammates. He looks inexperienced at times, but doesn’t lack poise or presence or big-play potential.

As for noise, he won in the New Orleans Superdome.

Still, many Alex lovers and Kaepernick haters continue to predict Kaepernick’s comeuppance, so I’m throwing in this item as a sop to those silly folks. Enjoy!

Vernon Davis: In his role as team cheerleader, Davis was praising Michael Crabtree’s hands. Great hands. I asked Davis, “How are your hands?”

“I haven’t seen many balls lately,” Davis said, chuckling. “They’re still good, I work with ’em in practice.”

On Sunday, Davis was targeted twice and caught one pass for 5 yards. Another fellow who plays tight end, Delanie Walker, caught two passes for 50 yards.

The mystery continues. Why no Davis? I asked him, Will we see more of you in the playoffs?

“Ah, well, I don’t know, that’s up to them,” Davis said, still smiling. “In practice, I get a lot of balls thrown my way. But come game time, the different coverages that I see are not what we see on flim. And the guys don’t play our tight ends the same as they play other tight ends. It’s difficult.”

Kick returns: LaMichael James, who saved the game in New England with his kickoff runback, remains a threat. But overall, the 49ers’ kick-return game strikes fear in their fans’ hearts.

The 49ers started their first possession Sunday on the 1-yard line and their second on the 12.

Punt returns are an adventure, and not in a fun way. Nobody forgets how last season ended.

Misc.: Can Greg Roman find his groove? (Sunday’s first three possessions drives were three-and-out.). … Will Alex Smith, like the beauty contest runner-up, be ready to take the job if needed? … Will the 49ers find a way to pressure the opposing quarterback? …